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1 1 (July 20, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdayc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated July 20,2020 Mexico: Evolution of the M rida Initiative, 2007-2020 Congress remains concerned about the effects of organized- crime-related violence in Mexico on U.S. security interests and U.S. citizens' safety in Mexico. Homicides in Mexico have reached record levels in each of the last three years as criminal groups have fought for control of smuggling routes into the United States. President Andr6s ManuelL6pez Obradoris under pressure to improve his security policy. The November2019 killing of an extended family of dual citizens near the Arizona border in Mexico has led some Members of Congress to call for increased oversightof bilateral efforts. This product provides a succinct overview of the roughly $3.1 billion appropriated for the M6rida Initiative, L6pezObrador's security strategy, andhow to assess bilateral security efforts. Prior to FY2008, Mexico did not receive large amounts of U.S. security assistance, partially dueto Mexican sensitivity about U.S. involvement in the country's internal affairs. In March 2007, then-Mexican President Felipe Calder6n asked for expanded U.S. cooperation to fight criminal organizations and their cross-border trafficking operations. In response, the M6rida Initiative, a package of U.S. antidrug andrule of law assistanceto Mexico (and Central America), beg an in October 2007. As part of the M6rida Initiative's emphasis on shared responsibility, the Mexican governmentpledgedto tackle corruption. The U.S. government pledged to address drug demand and the illicit trafficking of firearms and bulk currency to Mexico. Both governments have struggled to fulfill those commitments. The December2019 U.S. arrest ofCalder6n's formerpublic security minister for allegedly taking millions in bribes fromthe Sinaloa Cartel dernstrated Mexico's endemic corruption. High levels of U.S. opioid-related deaths and rising methamphetamine demand illustrate challenges in addressing U.S. drug consumption. During the first three years of the Mrida Initiative, Congress appropriated some $1.5 billion, including $420.7 million in foreign military financing (FMF), which enabled the purchase of equipment, including aircraft and helicopters, to support Mexico's federal security forces (military and police). Congress withheld 15% of certain U.S. aid for the Mexican military and police until the State Department submitted an annual report stating that Mexico was taking steps to meet humanrights requirements. U.S. as s is tance focused on (1) countemarcotics, border security, and counterterroris m; (2) public security; and (3) institution building. U.S. assistance and intelligence supported Mexico's strategy ofarresting (and extraditing) kingpins from each of the major drug trafficking organizations. This kingpin strategy also fueled violence, as fractured drug trafficking organizations foughtto regroup andreorganize. P:Y20 s -FY2, H In 2011, the U.S. and Mexican governments broadened the s cope of bilateral efforts under four pillars that prioritized institution building: 1. Combating transnational criminal organizations through intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations; 2. Institutionalizing the rule of law while protecting human rights through justice sector reform, forensic equipment and training, and federal- and state-level police and corrections reform; 3. Creating a 21 st-century U.S.-Mexican border while improving immigration enforcement in Mexico and s ecurity along Mexico's southern borders; and 4. Building strong andresilient communities by piloting approaches to address root causes of violence and supporting efforts to reducedrug demand and build a culture oflawfulness through education programs. Some analysts praised the wide-ranging cooperation between the governments. Others criticized the increasing number of priorities they adopted. Experts warned it would be difficult for Mexico to implement an accusatorialjustice systemrequiring better evidence collection by police and public trials with oral arguments in only eight years. Mexico's Congress established the eight-year transition to a newjustice systemin 2008 constitutionalreforms. U.S. technology and training under pillar one supported Mexican intelligence-gathering and information-sharing efforts, including biometrics and teleconmunications. Under pillar two, U.S. agencies provided more than $400 million in training, courtroominfrastructure, and technical as s is tance to s upp ort Mexico's transition to an accusatorial justice systemat the federal and state levels. Pillar three expanded beyond efforts to modernize the U.S.-Mexican border to include more than $100 million in training and equipment for s ecuring Mexico's southern b order. Under pillar four, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented $25 million in human rights programs and $90 million in crime prevention projects. FMFhas not been partofthe M6rida Initiative since FY2011, but the State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense coordinate their as sistance. Although all U.S. security assistance to Mexico is subject to human rights vetting requirements (known as Leahy Laws), additional human-rights-related aid res frictions only apply to FMF. A A '2 k